Latch for appliance doors

ABSTRACT

When the appliance door is open, the latching element of the latch is lodged within a pocket in a slot formed in the latch bracket and is blocked against movement from an unlatched position so as to prevent operation of the appliance. As the door is closed, a strike directly engages the latching element and forces the latching element out of the pocket to free the latching element for movement from the unlatched position. If the door is reopened before being latched but after the latching element has been moved a short distance from the unlatched position, the latching element is blocked against movement to a fully latched position and the appliance cannot be operated.

United States Patent Anderson Feb. 15,1972

LATCH FOR APPLIANCE DOORS [72] Inventor: Donald L. Anderson, Rockford,Ill.

[73] Assignee: Amerock Corporation, Rockford, Ill.

[22] Filed: May 4, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 34,477

[52] US. Cl. ..292/66, 292/1 13, 292/D1G. 69 [51] Int. Cl. [58]FieldotSearch ..292/7, 66,113,114, DIG. 62,

292/DIG. 69, 67; 70/DlG. 42; 126/197 [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 3,476,424 1 1/ 1969 Erickson ..292/66 3,410,591 11/1968 Fowler3,125,365 3/1964 Eigelbach .......292/7 Primary ExaminerRobert L. WolfeAttorneyWolfe, Hubbard, Leydig, Voit & Osann, Ltd.

[57] ABSTRACT When the appliance door is open, the latching element ofthe latch is lodged within a pocket in a slot formed in the latchbracket and is blocked against movement from an unlatched position so asto prevent operation of the appliance. As the door is closed, a strikedirectly engages the latching element and forces the latching elementout of the pocket to free the latching element for movement from theunlatched position. If the door is reopened before being latched butafter the latching element has been moved a short distance from theunlatched position, the latching element is blocked against movement'toa fully latched position and the appliance cannot be operated.

9 Claims, 11) Drawing Figures PATENTEB FEB l 5 I872 SHEET 1 BF 3BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a latch especiallysuitable for use in latching the door of an appliance such as aself-cleaning oven or an automatic dishwasher in a tightly closedposition against the appliance cabinet prior to operation of theappliance and includes generally an operating lever mounted on a baseand operable to move a latching element first from an unlatched positionto engage a strike and then to a latched position to draw the door intightly against the cabinet. More particularly, the invention relates toa latch in which the latching element is blocked against movement fromthe unlatched position until the door is closed against the cabinet andthe strike or some member associated with the strike acts upon the latchto free the latching element for movement from the unlatched position.Latches of this general type are disclosed in Jellies US. Pat. No.3,005,065 and Yake U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,822. Also, a latch somewhatrelated to the present latch is disclosed in Erickson U.S. Pat. No.3,476,424.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary aim of the present invention is toprovide a new and improved latch of the above character which is simplerin construction and more reliable and foolproof in operation than priorlatches of the same general type. In large, these ends are achieved by aunique construction in which advantage is taken of the base of the latchto block the latching element against movement from its unlatchedposition and in which the strike directly engages the latching elementitself as the door is closed so as to free the latching element to movefrom its unlatched position. As a result, the desired blocking of thelatching element is effected without need ofincorporating additionalmechanisms in the latch for accomplishing this end.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latch of the foregoingcharacter in which the latching element is prevented from moving to itsfully latched position if the door should happen to be reopened beforebeing latched but after having been closed sufficiently far to releasethe latching element for movement from its unlatched position. Thus,double protection is provided to insure against movement of the latchingelement to its latched position unless the door is closed.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary verticalcrosssection of an appliance equipped with a new and improved latch embodyingthe novel features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross section taken substantially along the line22 of FIG. 1 and showing the latch in a fully latched condition.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross section taken substantially along the line3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross section taken substantially along the line44 of FIG. 3 and showing the latching element in its fully latchedposition.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the latching element inits unlatched position and blocked against movement from such position.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the latching elementreleased for movement from its unlatched position.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the latching element inan intermediate position prior to being shifted to its fully latchedposition.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but showing the latching elementblocked against shifting to its fully latched position.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken substantiallyalong the line 99 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the operating lever of the latch.

AM] I DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in thedrawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in alatch 15 preferably but not necessarily mounted within the door 16 of anappliance such as an automatic dishwasher and including a latchingelement 17 selectively engageable with a strike 19 on the dishwashercabinet 20 to latch the door in a tightly closed position against thecabinet prior to operation of the dishwasher. In such a latch, anoperating lever 21 is pivoted on a base or mounting bracket 23 and isconnected to the latching element in such a manner that counterclockwiseswinging of the lever from an unlatching position (FIG. 6) to a latchingposition (FIG. 7) and then to a tight-sealing position (FIG. 4) resultsin a two-step movement of the latching element relative to the bracketto latch the door. As the lever is swung between its positions, thelatching element first moves along the front of the cabinet fromanunlatched position (FIG. 6) to an intermediate position (FIG. 7) inengagement with the strike, and then remains bodily stationary butassumes a latched position (FIG. 4) relative to the bracket 23 as thelatter and the door are drawn inwardly against the cabinet withcontinued swinging of the lever to its tight-sealing position. Toprevent operation of the dishwasher when'the door is open or free toopen, a safety switch 24 (FIGS. 1 and 3) in the control circuit of thedishwasher is arranged to be closed to condition the circuit foroperation only when the lever 21 is in its tight-sealing position (FIGS.3 and 4) with the door latched and tightly closed.

In this instance, the mounting bracket 23 is a one-piece member made ofsheet metal and includes upper and lower horizontally disposed plates 25and 26 (FIG. I) joined at their inner ends by an upright web 27. Thebracket is housed within the upper end portion of the door 16 and isfastened to the latter by screws 29, two of the screws extending throughears 30 upstanding from the upper plate 25.

The operating lever 21 comprises an elongated handle 31 extendingthrough a slot 33 (FIG. 1) in the door 16 and formed at its inner endwith an upright web 34 (FIGS. 3 and 10) which, in turn, is integral witha plate 35 overlying the handle and spaced vertically from the latter.Anchored to the bracket plates 25 and 26 is a vertical pivot pin 36which extends through the handle 31 and the plate 35 to mount theoperating lever 21 for swinging between its positions on the bracket 23.A contractile spring 37 is stretched between a finger 39 (FIG. 3)depending from the handle 31 and an ear 40 on the lower plate 26 of thebracket 23 and normally urges the lever toward its unlatching position(FIG. 5). As the lever approaches its tight-sealing position, thelongitudinal axis of the spring crosses over the pivot pin 36 and urgesthe lever into its tight-sealing position (FIG. 4). A lug 41 (FIGS. 3and 5) on one side of the handle 31 engages the lower plate 26 of thebracket 23 to limit clockwise swinging of the lever beyond itsunlatching position while the finger 39 engages the lower plate to limitthe extent of counterclockwise swinging of the lever.

Herein, the latching element 17 constitutes part of a bolt 44 which isconnected to be moved by the operating lever 21. More specifically, thebolt comprises an upper plate 45 (FIG. 1) overlying the upper plate 34of the operating lever 21 and formed at its inner end with an elongatedslot 46 which receives the pivot pin 36 and whose edges are slidablealong and pivotable on the pin. A depending web 47 (FIG. 1) is formed atthe outer end of the plate 45 and joins the latter to a comparativelyshort plate 49 spaced below the upper plate. The latching element 17preferably is a pinlike member anchored at its lower end to the lowerplate 49 of the bolt 44 (see FIG. 9) and extending upwardly through theupper plate 45. To move the bolt in response to swinging of theoperating lever, a driving link 50 (FIG. 8) is pivotally connected atits outer end to the latching element 17 between the plates 45 and 49and is pivoted at its inner end on a rivet 51 which is secured to theupper plate 34 of the operating lever 21, the rivet extending through anenlarged oblong hole 53 in the inner end of the driving link toestablish a lost-motion connection between the link and the lever. Asthe operating lever is swung through its positions, the driving linktransmits the motion thereof to the bolt 44 to move the latter and thelatching element 17.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. 1 and 2, the strike 19 is fastened to theupper portion of the cabinet 20 by rivets 54 and extends outwardly ofthe cabinet, the outer end portion of the strike projecting through aslot in the door 16 and overlying the latch when the door is in a closedposition. The strike is a generally flat member whose outer edge 55(FIG. 2) is inclined outwardly and coacts with a hook-shaped keeper 56to define a U-shaped notch 57 for receiving the latching element whenthe latter is in its fully latched position. Engagement of the latchingelement 17 with the inner edge of the keeper 56 prevents the door frombeing opened as long as the latching element is in its latched position.

When the door 16 is closed and the operating lever 21 is moved from itsunlatching position (FIG. 6) to its latching position (FIG. 7), the bolt44 is swung about the axis of the pin 36 by the driving link 50 to swingthe latching element 17 counterclockwise along the front of the cabinetfrom its unlatched position (FIG. 6) to its intermediate position (FIG.7). Upon reaching the latter position, the latching element seats in thenotch 57in the strike 19 and engages the curved edge of the notchlocated between the inner edge of the keeper 56 and the outer edge 55 ofthe strike. The latching element 17 thus is restricted against furtherbodily movement so that, with continued swinging of the operating lever21 toward its tight-sealing position (FIG. 4), the latching elementbears against the inner edge of the keeper 56 and causes all of theparts of the latch 15 except the bolt 44 to shift inwardly to draw thedoor inwardly against the cabinet, the pin 36 sliding within the slot 46in the bolt to allow inward shifting of the movable latch parts relativeto the bolt. As the operating lever 21 reaches its tight-sealingposition, the finger 39 causes closing of the safety switch 24 which isattached to the lower plate 26 of the bracket 23 and which includes aspring-biased operator 60 (FIGS. 1 and 2) positioned to be depressed bythe finger only when the lever is disposed in its tight-sealingposition.

Accordingly, the dishwasher will not be conditioned for operation untilthe operating lever 21 is swung to its tight-sealing position to closethe safety switch 24. Because operation of the dishwasher with the door16 in an open position would result in hot water being sprayed from thecabinet 20, the operating lever 21 is prevented from being moved to itstightsealing position and against the switch operator 60 when the dooris not closed. This is achieved by blocking the latching element 17against movement from its unlatched position so long as the door is openand by utilizing the strike 19 to free the latching element as anincident to closing the door.

In accordance with the primary aspect of the present invention, theconstruction of the latch 15 is simplified as compared to previouslatches of the same general type by advantageously using the bracket 23itself to block the latching element 17 against movement from itsunlatched position when the door 16 is open. Moreover, the strike 19directly engages the latching element 17 as the door is closed and freesthe latching element for movement from its unlatched position. With thisarrangement, the blocking and unblocking action is effected through thecoaction of the bracket, the strike and the latching element so as toavoid the need of increasing the complexity of the latch by adding aseparate mechanism for performing the blocking and unblocking functions.

In the present instance, blocking of the latching element 17 is effectedby the upper plate 25 of the bracket 23, the upper plate being formedwith a slot 61 (FIGS. 2 and 4) within which the latching element slidesas it is moved through its positions. The latching element 17 projectsupwardly through the slot 61 as shown in FIG. 9 and carries a washer 63which rides along the upper surface of the plate 25. When in itsunlatched position, the latching element is disposed at the extreme leftend (FIG. 5)'of the slot 61 and is captivated within an inwardlyextending pocket 64 formed in the left endof the slot. To hold thelatching element tightly but releasably in the pocket, a contractilespring 65 (FIG. 5) stretched between the bracket 23 and the upper plate45 of the bolt 44 pulls the latter inwardly toward the pin 36 and biasesthe bolt in a counterclockwise direction about the pin.

If an attempt is made to swing the operating lever 21 counterclockwisefrom its unlatching position (FIG. 5) when the door 16 is open and thelatching element 17 is in the pocket 64, the latching element engagesthe right-hand edge of the pocket and such edge serves as an abutment toprevent movement of the latching element and the bolt 44. The operatinglever 21 is permitted to move through only a very limited range, aspermitted by the clearance between the rivet 51 and the inner end of theoblong hole 53 in the link 50, and thus is held against any substantialmovement and is prevented from engaging the operator 60 of the safetyswitch 24. Very limited movement of the operating lever 21 from itsunlatching position is possible when the latching element 17 is in thepocket 64 because the driving link 50 is positioned such that the rivet51 is located intermediate the ends of the oblong hole 53. That is, withthe lug 41 on the operating lever engaging the lower bracket plate 26and with the latching element lodged within the pocket 64, the drivinglink is positioned as shown in F IG. 5 with ,the ends of the hole 53spaced from the rivet 51 and neither the spring 37 nor the spring 65 iseffective to change the position of the driving link.

As the door 16 is swung to a closed position with the latching element17 lodged within the pocket 64, the latching element first engages andstops, against the left-hand end portion of the outer edge 55 of thestrike 19 as shown in FIG. 6, the outer edge being disposed opposite ofand aligned with the pocket. Thus, with continued closing of the door,the bracket 23 and the pocket 64 therein move inwardly while thelatching element and the bolt 44 remain stationary such that thelatching element leaves the pocket and assumes a position in the mainportion of the slot 61 (see FIG. 6). The latching element thus ispositioned clear of the right edge of the pocket and can be moved fromleft to right along the slot from its unlatched position and toward thekeeper 56 as the operating lever 21 is swung counterclockwise from itsunlatching position. Inward movement of the bracket 23 and the operatinglever 21 relative to the latching element 17 and the bolt 44 ispermitted by virtue of the clearance existing between the rivet 51 andthe inner end of the oblong hole 53 in the driving link 50 when thelatching element is lodged in the pocket 64.

When the latching element is' disposed out of the pocket as shown inFIG. 6, the clearance is taken up and the inner end of the hole 53engages the rivet 51.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that, as long as the door 16 isopen, the latching element 17 is blocked against movement from itsunlatched position by the edge of the pocket 64, which may be formed inthe bracket plate 25 by a simple stamping operation. As the door isclosed, the latching element is freed from the pocket by virtue of thestrike 19 acting directly against the latching element. The latch thusis comparatively simple in construction and operation since, for themost part, the same elements which are used to effect normal latching ofthe door also are used for the purpose of blocking the latching elementto prevent movement of the operating lever 21 to its tight-sealingposition unless the door is closed.

According to a secondary aspect of the invention, the latch 15 isarranged such that, if the door 16 is reopened immediately after thelatching element 17 has been moved from the pocket 64 and just out ofits unlatched position, the latching element still will be preventedfrom moving to its fully latched position and the operating lever 21will be prevented from moving to its tight-sealing position to close thesafety switch 24. In this way, an extra safeguard is provided to makethe latch foolproof and accidentproof and thereby insure againstoperation of the dishwasher when the door is open.

To achieve the foregoing ends, the latching element 17 is held forswinging in an arcuate path along the front of the cabinet from itsreleased position (FIG. 6) to its intermediate position (FIG. 7) and, ifthe door 16 is reopened dur ing such swinging such that the latchingelement fails to engage the keeper 56, the latching element continues toswing a slight distance beyond the intermediate position to a positionshown in FIG. 3 where further movement of the latching element and theoperating lever 21 is blocked with the lever positioned short of thesafety switch 24. If, however, the door remains closed and the latchingelement engages the curved edge of the notch 57 adjacent the keeper 56,the force created by such engagement causes the latching element to stopwhile continued movement of the operating lever is effective to shiftthe bracket 23 inwardly so that the latching element assumes a fullylatched position as shown in FIG. 4.

More specifically, the latching element 17, in moving from the releasedposition (FIG. 6) to the intermediate position (FIG. 7), rides in acurved intermediate portion of the slot 61 and is pressed against theinner edge of such portion by virtue of the spring 65 urging the bolt 44for inward sliding along the pin 36. Accordingly, the latching elementand the bolt are held for swinging in an arcuate path about the axis ofthe pin 36 as the operating lever 21 is swung from its unlatchingposition to its latching position to move the bolt from its releasedposition to its intermediate position. If the keeper 56 is not locatedto engage the latching element when the latter reaches its intermediateposition, further swinging of the operating lever simply continues toswing the latching element along its arcuate path through a shortdistance until the latching element enters a shallow pocket 70 (FIGS. 2and 8) at the right end of the slot and is stopped by the edges of thepocket 70 as shown in FIG. 8. With the latching element lodged in thepocket 70, further swinging of the operating lever is prevented, exceptas'permitted by the clearance between the rivet SI and the oblong hole53, and the lever 21 is stopped short of the safety switch 24. Thedishwasher thus cannot be operated if the door 16 should happen to havebeen reopened immediately after initial swinging of the latching elementfrom its unlatched position.

If the door 16 remains closed, the latching element 17 engages and stopsagainst the curved edge of the notch 57 adjaeent the keeper 56 uponreaching the intermediate position (see FIG. 7) and, with furtherswinging of the operating lever, the driving link 50 approaches andcrosses over a line extending between the latching element and the pin36 and acts as a toggle to force the bracket 23 and the operating lever21 inwardly relative to the stationary latching element. Such inwardmovement of the bracket relative to the latching element is permitted byan elongated neck 71 (FIGS. 2 and 4) extending outwardly from the slot61, the latching element ultimately being disposed within the outer endof the neck 71 as shown in FIG. 4 when the door is fully latched. As thebracket and the operating lever shift inwardly, the pin 36 slidesinwardly within the slot 46 in the bolt 44 and the spring 65 yields topermit such inward sliding. Also, while the bracket 23 and the lever 21are shifting inwardly to bring the latching element into the neck 71,swinging of the lever may be continued to the tight-sealing position toactuate the safety switch 24.

Accordingly, it will be apparent that the present invention brings tothe art a new and improved latch 15 in which the latching element 17 isblocked against movement from the unlatched position if the door 16 isnot closed and then is reblocked and prevented from moving to thelatched position if the door is reopened before being fully latched. Thelatch thus provides a double safeguard against the dishwasher beingoperated while the door is open,

I claim as my invention:

1. A latch for use with an appliance cabinet having an access opening, adoor movable between positions opening and closing the access opening,and a strike on one of the door and the cabinet for use in latching thedoor in a closed position against the cabinet, said latch comprising abase mountable on the other of the door and the cabinet, an operatinglever on said base and movable between unlatching and latchingpositions, a latching element engageable with said strike to latch thedoor and movable by said lever from an unlatched position as the leveris moved from said unlatching position, an abutment on said base andengageable with said latching element when thelatter is in saidunlatched position and the door is open thereby to restrict movement ofthe latching element from said unlatched position, and means associatedwith said strike and aligned with the latching element to directlyengage the latching element as the door is closed and to cause thelatching element to move relative to and out of engagement with saidabutment thereby to free the latching element for movement from saidunlatched position.

2. A latch as defined in claim 1 further including a lost-motionconnection between said latching element and said operating lever totransmit the movement of said lever to said latching element as saidlever is moved between said unlatching and latching positions whilepermitting the latching element to move relative to said lever as saidlatching element is moved out of engagement with said abutment.

3. A latch for use with an appliance cabinet having an access opening, adoor movable between positions opening and closing the access opening,and a strike on one of the door and the cabinet for use in latching thedoor in a closed position against the cabinet, said latch comprising abase mountable on the other of the door and the cabinet, an operatinglever on said base and movable between unlatching and latchingpositions, a bolt having a latching element engageable with said striketo latch the door and movable by said lever from an unlatched positionas the lever is moved from said unlatching position, a slot in said baseand slidably receiving said latching element, said slot being formedwith a pocket within which the latching element lodges when the latteris in said unlatched position and the door is open and having an edgeengageable with the latching element to restrict movement of the elementfrom the unlatched position, and said pocket and strike being alignedwith one another on the cabinet and the door such that the strikeengages the latching element as the door is closed and forces thelatching element out of the pocket to free the latching element formovement from said unlatched position.

4. A latch for use with an appliance cabinet having an access opening, adoor movable between positions opening and closing the access opening,and a strike on one of the door and the cabinet for use in latching thedoor in a closed position against the cabinet, said latch comprising abase mountable on the other of the door and cabinet, a pivot pin on saidbase, an operating lever mounted on said pin for swinging betweenangularly spaced unlatching and latching positions, a bolt pivotally andslidably mounted on said pin, a driving link, connections pivotallycoupling one end of said link to said bolt and pivotally coupling theother end of said link to said lever to transmit movement of said leverto said bolt as said lever is swung from said unlatching position, saidbolt having a latching element engageable with said strike to latch thedoor and swingable by said lever from an unlatched position as the leveris swung from said unlatching position, a slot in said base and slidablyreceiving said latching element, said slot being formed with a pocketwithin which the latching element lodges when the latter is in saidunlatched position and the door is open and having an edge engageablewith the latching element to restrict movement of the element from theunlatched position, said strike and said pocket being aligned with oneanother on the cabinet and the door such that the strike engages thelatching element as the door is closed and forces the latching elementout of the pocket to free the latching element for movement from saidunlatched position, said bolt sliding relative to said pin as thelatching element is forced from said pocket, and one of said connectionsat the ends of said link being a lost-motion connection to permitsliding of the bolt relative to the lever as the latching element isforced out of said pocket.

inin'n 5. A latch as defined in claim 4 in which said lost-motionconnection comprises a pivot member located at one end of said link andfitted into an elongated hole formed in one of said link, said lever andsaid bolt.

6. A latch for use with an appliance cabinet having an access opening, adoor movable between positions opening and closing the access opening,and a strike with a keeper on one of the door and the cabinet for use inlatching the door in a closed position against the cabinet, said latchcomprising a base mountable on the other of the door and cabinet, anoperating lever on said base and movable between angularly spacedunlatching, latching and tight-sealing positions, a bolt having alatching element movable by said lever along a first path from anunlatched position to an intermediate position to engage the keeper assaid lever is moved from said unlatching position to said latchingposition, said latching element, after engaging the keeper, beingmovable relative to said lever along a second path from saidintermediate position to a latched position to draw the door in tightlyagainst the cabinet as said lever is moved from said latching positionto said tightsealing position, a slot in said base and slidablyreceiving said latching element as the latter is moved between itspositions, one end of said slot being formed with a pocket within whichthe latching element lodges when the latching element is in saidunlatched position and the door is open and having an edge engageablewith the latching element to restrict movement of the element from theunlatched position, said pocket and strike being aligned with oneanother on the cabinet and the door such that the strike engages thelatching element as the door is closed and forces the latching elementout of the pocket to free the latching element for movement from theunlatched position, means holding the latching element for movementalong said first path as said lever is moved from said unlatchingposition to said latching position and restricting movement of thelatching element relative to the lever along said second path to saidlatched position until the latching element engages the keeper, and saidmeans freeing said latching element for movement relative to the leveralong said second path to said latched position in response to the forcecreated by engagement of the latching element with the keeper and as thelever is moved to said tight-sealing position.

7. A latch as defined in claim 6 in which said pocket extends in onedirection from said slot and in which the slot includes a neck extendingin the opposite direction, said latching element being disposed withinsaid neck when in said latched position.

8. A latch as defined in claim 7 in which said slot is formed with asecond pocket located adjacent the entrance of said neck, said latchingelement lodging in said second pocket and being prevented from enteringsaid neck when the latching element is moved to and beyond saidintermediate position without engaging the keeper.

9. A latch as defined in claim 6 further including a pin mounting saidoperating lever for swinging on said base and mounting said bolt bothfor swinging and for sliding on the base, a driving link, connectionspivotally coupling one end of said link to said lever and pivotallycoupling the other end of said link to said bolt, and one of saidconnections being a lostmotion connection to permit said bolt to sliderelative to said lever as said latching element is forced out of saidpocket.

Ilun'n new.

1. A latch for use with an appliance cabinet having an access opening, adoor movable between positions opening and closing the access opening,and a strike on one of the door and the cabinet for use in latching thedoor in a closed position against the cabinet, said latch comprising abase mountable on the other of the door and the cabinet, an operatinglever on said base and movable between unlatching and latchingpositions, a latching element engageable with said strike to latch thedoor and movable by said lever from an unlatched position as the leveris moved from said unlatching position, an abutment on said base andengageable with said latching element when the latter is in saidunlatched position and the door is open thereby to restrict movement ofthe latching element from said unlatched position, and means associatedwith said strike and aligned with the latching element to directlyengage the latching element as the door is closed and to cause thelatching element to move relative to and out of engagement with saidabutment thereby to free the latching element for movement from saidunlatched position.
 2. A latch as defined in claim 1 further including alost-motion connection between said latching element and said operatinglever to transmit the movement of said lever to said latching element assaid lever is moved between said unlatching and latching positions whilepermitting the latching element to move relative to said lever as saidlatching element is moved out of engagement with said abutment.
 3. Alatch for use with an appliance cabinet having an access opening, a doormovable between positions opening and closing the access opening, and astrike on one of the door and the cabinet for use in latching the doorin a closed position against the cabinet, said latch comprising a basemountable on the other of the door and the cabinet, an operating leveron said base and movable between unlatching and latching positions, abolt having a latching element engageable with said strike to latch thedoor and movable by said lever from an unlatched position as the leveris moved from said unlatching position, a slot in said base and slidablyreceiving said latching element, said slot being formed with a pocketwithin which the latching element lodges when the latter is in saidunlatched position and the door is open and having an edge engageablewith the latching element to restrict movement of the element from theunlatched position, and said pocket and strike being aligned with oneanother on the cabinet and the door such that the strike engages thelatching element as the door is closed and forces the latching elementout of the pocket to free the latching element for movement from saidunlatched position.
 4. A latch for use with an appliance cabinet havingan access opening, a door movable between positions opening and closingthe access opening, and a strike on one of the door and the cabinet foruse in latching the door in a closed position against the cabinet, saidlatch comprising a base mountable on the other of the door and cabinet,a pivot pin on said base, an operating lever mounted on said pin forswinging between angularly spaced unlatching and latching positions, abolt pivotally and slidably mounted on said pin, a driving link,connections pivotally coupling one end of said link to said bolt andpivotally coupling the other end of said link to said lever to transmitmovement of said lever to said bolt as said lever is swung from saidunlatching position, said bolt having a latching element engageable withsaid strike to latch the door and swingable by said lever from anunlatched position as the lever is swung from said unlatching position,a slot in said base and slidably receiving said latching element, saidslot being formed with a pocket within which the latching element lodgeswhen the latter is in said unlatched position and the door is open andhaving an edge engageable with the latching element to restrict movementof the element from the unlatched position, said strike and said pocketbeing aligned with one another on the cabinet and the door such that thestrike engages the latching element as the door is closed and forces thelatching element out of the pocket to free the latching element formovement from said unlatched position, said bolt sliding relative tosaid pin as the latching element is forced from said pocket, and one ofsaid connections at the ends of said link being a lost-motion connectionto permit sliding of the bolt relative to the lever as the latchingelement is forced out of said pocket.
 5. A latch as defined in claim 4in which said lost-motion connection comprises a pivot member located atone end of said link and fitted into an elongated hole formed in one ofsaid link, said lever and said bolt.
 6. A latch for use with anappliance cabinet having an access opening, a door movable betweenpositions opening and closing the access opening, and a strike with akeeper on one of the door and the cabinet for use in latching the doorin a closed position against the cabinet, said latch comprising a basemountable on the other of the door and cabinet, an operating lever onsaid base and movable between angularly spaced unlatching, latching andtight-sealing positions, a bolt having a latching element movable bysaid lever along a first path from an unlatched position to anintermediate position to engage the keeper as said lever is moved fromsaid unlatching position to said latching position, said latchingelement, after engaging the keeper, being movable relative to said leveralong a second path from said intermediate position to a latchedposition to draw the door in tightly against the cabinet as said leveris moved from said latching position to said tight-sealing position, aslot in said base and slidably receiving said latching element as thelatter is moved between its positions, one end of said slot being formedwith a pocket within which the latching element lodges when the latchingelement is in said unlatched position and the door is open and having anedge engageable with the latching element to restrict movement of theelement from the unlatched position, said pocket and strike beingaligned with one another on the cabinet and the door such that thestrike engages the latching element as the door is closed and forces thelatching element out of the pocket to free the latching element formovement from the unlatched position, means holding the latching elementfor movement along said first path as said lever is moved from saidunlatching position to said latching position and restricting movementof the latching element relative to the lever along said second path tosaid latched position until the latching element engages the keeper, andsaid means freeing said latching element for movement relative to thelever along said second path to said latched position in response to theforce created by engagement of the latching element with the keeper andas the lever is moved to said tight-sealing position.
 7. A latch asdefined in claim 6 in which said pocket extends in one direction fromsaid slot and in which the slot includes a neck extending in theopposite direction, said latching element being disposed within saidneck when in said latched position.
 8. A latch as defined in claim 7 inwhich said slot is formed with a second pocket located adjacent theentrance of said neck, said latching element lodging in said secondpocket and being prevented from entering said neck when the latchingelement is moved to and beyond said intermediate position withoutengaging the keeper.
 9. A latch as defined in claim 6 further includinga pin mounting said operating lever for swinging on said base andmounting said bolt both for swinging and for sliding on the base, adriving link, connections pivotally coupling one end of said link tosaid lever and pivotally coupling the other end of said link to saidbolt, and one of said connections being a lost-motion connection topermit said bolt to slide relative to said lever as said latchingelement is forced out of said pocket.